First Look, Panasonic AG-AC90 at DVExpo West

BobDiaz

BobDiaz

The Professor
As I'm writing this, I'm crunching the video I shot of Jan Crittenden Livigston, from Panasonic, today at DVExpo regarding the AC90 camera. Jan was nice enough to sit down with me, let me "play" with the camera, and show me the features. In addition I have a card with 6 clips I shot with the camera at the show. However, I'm pressed to get ready for class right now, so I can only give you a little information now and a lot more later on...

The first thing that jumps out at me is the image stabilization system in the camera. When I was in my 30s, I could hold a camera reasonably steady, but today I'm a lot older and stink at handheld shots. (Sorry, but may hands aren't as steady as they used to be.) The HMC-40 has OIS, but it's limited as to how much it can do; it helps, but not enough for me. The 5 axes image stabilization system on the AC90 is amazing. At wide angle it overcomes my shake and holds very well even at the half way zoom point. At maximum telephoto, I'm a bit too much for it, but I can see that the system helps to reduce the shake I have.

When I get a chance to upload the 6 clips I shot from the camera to VIMEO, you will see that the last clip I wasn't waving the camera around like crazy, but pointed it at Jan as she talked about the camera. Take a good look at that part of the clip, it's VERY stable!!! You'll be able to download the source clip if you are signed up to VIMEO and if you play it on your HDTV, look at Jan's hair closely, the image is VERY sharp. I played all 6 clips on my HDTV and they look great.


Unlike the HMC40, the AC90 has 3 rings on the lens that allow you to adjust focus, zoom, and iris. Very nice, no flipping a switch to pick two of the three items. I love how the audio volume controls are now on the side of the camera and XLR is built into the camera. You have 3 User defined buttons on the AND 4 more on the LCD. The camera has 2 slots so that you have the option of recording to one slot, record the same to both slots, or switch when full. Be aware, that switch when full will drop about a second of so of video.

The camera is using an improved MOS sensor, which should give you about 1 stop improvement over the HMC40. I understand that Barry Green will be testing out the AC90, so we'll get the word from him as to the difference. It should prove interesting as gain increases to see how the two compare.

Right now my brain is a bit scrambled because I have do prepare for my class tonight and at the same time I want to get the video up ASAP. Subject to how fast things work, I may or may now have the video ready in time before class.... If not, than late tonight I'll post the video. (Remember I'm in California.)

However, I did want to tell you that IF you are about to purchase a new camera in around the $2,000 range, the AC90 is worth considering!!!



Bob Diaz
 
BobDiaz said:
When I get a chance to upload the 6 clips I shot from the camera to VIMEO, you will see that the last clip I wasn't waving the camera around like crazy, but pointed it at Jan as she talked about the camera. Take a good look at that part of the clip, it's VERY stable!!!
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The stabilization in the AC90 is simply leagues better than on any prior Panasonic camera. It's night and day better, it's a massive improvement.

You'll be able to download the source clip if you are signed up to VIMEO and if you play it on your HDTV, look at Jan's hair closely, the image is VERY sharp.
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At 0dB of gain, the AC90 is absurdly sharp. It's really quite fantastic. I think it's sharper than the HPX250/AC160 series, and that's saying something. Sharper than an EX3? Maybe. Now, when you start cranking up the gain that advantage gets mushed a little, but at 0dB it's super hyper sharp.

The camera has 2 slots so that you have the option of recording to one slot, record the same to both slots, or switch when full. Be aware, that switch when full will drop about a second of so of video.
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In my testing, switching from one card to the other was seamless for video, but it did truncate about 1/2 second of audio during the swapover. I compared against the AF100 and the AF100 does it completely seamlessly. The AC90 is much less expensive, so you can't expect everything to be as good, and this aspect was surprising (I was expecting seamlessness) but it did lose that 1/2 second of audio.

The camera is using an improved MOS sensor, which should give you about 1 stop improvement over the HMC40. I understand that Barry Green will be testing out the AC90, so we'll get the word from him as to the difference. It should prove interesting as gain increases to see how the two compare.
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In terms of base sensitivity, it isn't any more sensitive than the HMC40. They're about the same in that regard. The sensors are a little smaller in the AC90, which lowers sensitivity, but they're backlit illuminated chips, which enhances sensitivity, so the net effect is that they're about the same in terms of basic sensitivity. Where the AC90 pulls way ahead though is in gain performance. I was testing last night, trying to evaluate the noise profile, and there basically wasn't any noise, I had to go to 30dB of gain to get any appreciable amount of noise! Even at +18, it was really clean. Cleaner than I remember the HMC40 being at 12dB. As I recall, the limit of where I was really comfortable with the HMC40 was about 9dB, and 12db in an emergency, but I set the gain limit at 12db, and never let it go higher. With the AC90, I'm happy to let it go to 18db, and I'll say this, I wish I had them side by side because I think the AC90 is probably cleaner at 24dB than the HMC40 is at 12dB. And if that's the case, it means a real-world two stop advantage vs. the HMC40.

I love the HMC40, it's a great little camera, but the intervening three years has indeed brought some technical benefits, and the AC90 is sharper, cleaner, with an absolutely gorgeous 4:2:2 output (recording the Wringer on the NanoFlash from the AC90 gave the best results I've seen yet from any camera I've tested!) It does get softer/mushier/noisier at 30dB, but ... that's 30dB! You should expect it to be soft and flat and mushy at 30dB. I think 24dB is usable, and I think 18dB is just fine, and I'm shocked to say that, because man, back in DVX days, 18dB was an unholy hailstorm of noise and grain and ugliness, but the AC90 just laps it up like it was nothing.


However, I did want to tell you that IF you are about to purchase a new camera in around the $2,000 range, the AC90 is worth considering!!!
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Definitely agreed there. I really like the AC90. It's bigger than the HMC40, about DVX100 sized, but it's priced competitive with the HMC40, and outperforms it, and includes the XLRs, and it has the first actually "good" lens cap implementation Panasonic's done since ... oh, since ... well, several years, anyway! I still think there's room in the market for the HMC40 alongside the HMC90; the HMC40 is a micro-sized cam with a great picture and a waveform monitor, the AC90 is bigger, but in that bigger-ness you get sharper imagery, cleaner gain, XLRs, two slots, and simply superb image stabilization. It does lose the waveform monitor (only a histogram now), and oddly it uses DVX batteries instead of HMC/AC160/AC130 batteries; that's a real head-scratcher I haven't figured out, but it is what it is...

In summation, a quite impressive camera at a really affordable price point.



Bob Diaz[/QUOTE]
 
Can you say yet how much DR the cam is holding onto when you crank up the gain?

No waveform? Ugg. That's probably my single favorite feature of the HMC40. Oh well. Two steps forward, one step back I guess.
 
Hi Barry

While you are testing would it be possible to see if autofocus works like the HMC40 and doesn't have the 130/160 issues ??? I'm guessing that the camera will use the same autoiris control as the hmc40/80 uses with iris/shutter and a built-in auto ND filter?? I'd love one to use on my stedicam at weddings so I do need a cam that can look after itself while I'm in a vest and rig!!

Sounds an awesome camera and the size/weight is right too!!!

Chris
 
I was amazed how fast and clean the auto-focus is. One of the clips I went from a close shot of Jan to someone across the hall and before I knew it, it was in focus. I just got home from teaching a class and I'm uploading the first video now, but at the current slow upload speed, I may have to give up and go to the college tomorrow to upload all the videos.

One of the interesting things about the camera is we gain a 1080/60p mode and a 480 mode, but all the 720p modes are not available on the AC90. It's not exactly a big loss because you can shoot in a matching 1080 mode and down-res the video to 720p mode.


Bob Diaz
 
Zoom Range....

Zoom Range....

Hello Bob,

i'm interested in the AG-AC90.

So please, can you test this:

Panasonic describes that it has an Optical Zoom 12X beginning from 29,8mm.
Then there is an Digital Zoom, this allows to Zoom 25X seamless.

Is it Seamless?

How good looks the Picture on the Digital 25X Tele?
Always same sharpness on the complete Zoomrange, or would it soft on the Range 12X to 25X (Digital Zoom-Range) ?

Panasonic describes an minimum of f1,5
What minimum f-stop is on Optical 12X Zoom and what minimum f-stop is on (Digital-) 25X Zoom ?


Thanks for check this.

Andreas Jäger
 
Hi xandix,

Unfortunately I only got to "Play" with the camera at DV Expo yesterday and I don't have the camera to try things. I do know from the camera that the lens said, F 1.5 on it. The HMC-40 is F 1.8, so the AC90 has about 1/2 a stop wider opening there. It acted like the F 1.5 didn't occur at the widest point in the zoom, but just a little into the zoom. Beyond that, I don't have any more information.

Barry Green has or will have the camera and might be able to answer the question.


Bob Diaz


P.S. I'm having to re-render and upload the video a second time, in my rush to post ASAP, something went wrong. Sorry for the delay....
 
Thanks Bob for your answers and the Link.

Interesting Camera, i have to deeper check it out when its in Europe available.

Andreas Jäger
 
This video comes directly from the Panasonic AG-AC90 camera. If you go to VIMEO and are signed up with VIMEO, you can download the original video file and play with it on your editing system or look at it in HD. I started with this video because in the second half Jan was talking and I pointed the camera at her. What makes the shot so interesting is the fact that this was a hand held shot, but it looks solid. The image stabilization system was able to hold position even when I have a bit of wiggle on the camera. Listen carefully while Jan talks about the image stabilization system.


Link: https://vimeo.com/49948875

I do want to point out, at maximum telephoto, I'm a bit too much for the system to deal with; however if I only go about half way, it's able to keep up with me.



Bob Diaz
 
Very impressive OIS Bob!!! Apart from a few tiny jitters that could have been a tripod shot!! Normally holding on one subject for that amount of time makes me wobble even with the shoulder-mount cameras and your footage was pretty close to rock steady...very impressive!! Glad to know also that the camera has good autofocus as you mentioned in your post a few back.

Chris
 
The second video direct from the camera shows what walking with the camera looks like.


Link: https://vimeo.com/49950272

It looks good on the computer screen, but it's even better on the HDTV. This really cleans up the bounce you get from walking.


Bob Diaz
 
Barry or Bob, Since you had a chance to play with the AC90 what can you say about the viewfinder or LCD screen--are they bigger/sharper than EVF or LCD on HMC40? The EVF on HMC40 could really use some improvement.

A very small point, but I think during Bob's interview with Jan one of them said the lens shield was not removable on the HMC40---I occasionally use a polarizing filter and to rotate it easily I remove the lens shield on the HMC40. If lens shield on AC90 is not removable would seem awkward to reach down into the lens shield to rotate polarizing filter.
 
Denniscasey said:
Barry or Bob, Since you had a chance to play with the AC90 what can you say about the viewfinder or LCD screen--are they bigger/sharper than EVF or LCD on HMC40? The EVF on HMC40 could really use some improvement.

A very small point, but I think during Bob's interview with Jan one of them said the lens shield was not removable on the HMC40---I occasionally use a polarizing filter and to rotate it easily I remove the lens shield on the HMC40. If lens shield on AC90 is not removable would seem awkward to reach down into the lens shield to rotate polarizing filter.
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I meant Bob or Jan said the lens shield was not removable on the AC90.
 
Thank you Bob looks fantastic in particular the IS, 3 points so far: 1- New battery ( No problem any way ), 2- No wave form monitor ( too bad ) 3- The lens hood is not removable , Can I screw a wide angle adapter ?
 
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Let me address the issues raised here:

(1) LCD: The LCD is about 1.1 mega pixel and is very sharp compared to the HMC-40.

(2) Fixed Lens Hood: This is going to be a trade off of the AC90 vs the HMC40. You would have to reach down into the hood to turn a polarizing filter. As for putting on a wide angle OR telephoto adapter; there was a lot of room to be able to fit one inside the hood. I don't see any problem with adapters not being able to fit inside the hood.

(3) No wave form monitor: Crud! The camera does have a histogram; which is OK, but not as good as a waveform monitor IMHO. I think of all sorts of things to check after I left the building and I'm on the train going home... The HMC40 does have a spot setting with an IRE reading; does the AC90 offer that? I have no idea, but I wish I had asked. IF it has the same IRE reading as the HMC40, that might be a workaround for getting more exact readings.

(4) Different battery: For us, the battery is not the same as the HMC40, but for others it matches the 170. Some win here some lose here.


While I'm at it, the next video showing the rapid auto-focus is uploaded:


Link: https://vimeo.com/49952262


There is going to be some trade-off in selecting an AC90 vs the HMC40. Each has it's strong points and neither model has all the advantages. If I had to start over and chose between the two models, the fantastic image stabilization system, the better viewfinder, the build-in XLR, and the wider angle on the zoom range, would make me pick the AC90 over the HMC40.


Bob Diaz
 
In the last video, I shot a side by side comparison. There are issues:

(1) The HMC40 was in my right hand, the AC90 was in my left hand. In an ideal test, the two cameras would be attached to a metal plate so that any movement occurs to both cameras exactly the same.

(2) No color matching was performed; both cameras were set to full auto.

(3) I converted the AC90 1080/30p video to 720/30p for editing.

(4) You'll notice that at maximum wide angle the AC90 is wider than the HMC40. In an ideal test, the zoom level should be exactly the same magnification.


Link: https://vimeo.com/49954487


Please consider this a quick and dirty test that's far from ideal. Still you get some sense of how much wider the lens is in the AC90 and a rough idea home much better it states stable when bounced around.



Bob Diaz
 
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BobDiaz said:
In the last video, I shot a side by side comparison. There are issues:

(1) The HMC40 was in my right hand, the AC90 was in my left hand. In an ideal test, the two cameras would be attached to a metal plate so that any movement occurs to both cameras exactly the same.

(2) No color matching was performed; both cameras were set to full auto.

(3) I converted the AC90 1080/30p video to 720/30p for editing.

(4) You'll notice that at maximum wide angle the AC90 is wider than the HMC40. In an ideal test, the zoom level should be exactly the same magnification.

Bob Diaz
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Great, one less tool my steady tracker will stay home, and my wide angle adapter is going to give me the equiv of a 21 mm
 
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